Montréal-based Bombardier Commercial Aircraft reported that an unidentified airline agreed to buy 10 of its CRJ900 aircraft, a deal it estimated to be worth $472 million. The OEM did not indicate any delivery schedule for the new jets.
While it draws less attention than the full-size commercial aircraft market, the regional-jet sector has thrived in recent years for many of the same reasons as the larger aircraft: established carriers replacing outdated or inefficient capacity, and additional capacity to serve new routes and new airlines, in particular in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America.
The CRJ series regional aircraft are twin-engine regional jets introduced by Bombardier in 1999, and it now counts over 1,900 orders for the three different variants. The CRJ900 seats 76 to 90 passengers, and is powered by two GE CF34-8C5 engines. The jet builder indicated it has logged orders for 428 CRJ900 aircraft, including the current order.
“Every 10 seconds," according to Bombardier, “a CRJ Series regional jet takes off somewhere in the world.” It calls CRJ "the world’s most successful regional jet program," noting the aircraft series has carried almost 1.6 billion passengers since the commercial debut.
Some of the airlines operating CRJ jets are United Express, Skywest Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Expressjet Airlines, and Endeavor Air.
“The modern and fuel efficient CRJ900 aircraft continues to maintain its solid footing and set industry benchmarks with its lower operating costs, outstanding operational flexibility and enhanced cabin amenities,” offered Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “These are key drivers for the growth, profitability and success of airlines around the world and we are delighted that the CRJ900 aircraft is creating excellent value for a wide variety of operators with diverse business requirements.”
